"I CAN SING!!"

“What’s going on??” For some reason my voice went hoarse Easter weekend, especially when I sang. I wasn’t sick; was it allergies? I was already taking an antihistamine. I was concerned because some friends and I were planning to sing at a nursing home that Thursday. 

Monday when I tried singing, no sound came out on most of the notes. Tuesday I could sing only low notes, and those didn’t sound pretty. 

I texted my friend Patty. Patty has the gift of healing, and God has healed other people through her. She said she’d gladly pray over me. I knew God could heal me; did He want to? One of my daughters said, “I’m sure He wants to make you feel better right now! He might just have a different plan that’s better!” Those were wise words!

Patty invited me to her home Wednesday afternoon. First, we had a wonderful visit on her patio. Then I described my voice issue and, before she started praying, I asked, “What am I supposed to do?” She replied, “Don’t do anything. Don’t try to make anything happen. Just let Jesus love on you. You might not feel anything happening, and that’s OK. Just receive His love and His will for you.”

I closed my eyes and listened to her praying. After a few minutes she asked if I felt anything and I said, “No.” “That’s OK,” she said. “Just receive.” We sat in silence for a bit; I lifted my face toward the sun, eyes still closed, soaking in its warmth.  

Finally, I opened my eyes, smiled at Patty, and thanked her. “Don’t thank me,” she said. “Jesus is the one who does the work. God heals; I don’t.” We chatted for a while and then I left.

Back in the car, I noticed one of my other daughters had called, so I called her back. “The baby’s fussy,” she said. So, without thinking, I did what I often do with my grandkids: I sang to her. My daughter said, “She’s looking at the phone and smiling! She loves that!” 

Then I shouted, “Wait! I’m singing! I CAN SING!! I haven’t been able to do that all week!!” I was singing high notes, low notes – all the notes! “Thank You, God!!”

And then Thursday morning at the nursing home, all the notes came out, clear as a bell! We sang with broad smiles and I kept thinking, ‘Thank You, Jesus!’

“Look to God that you may be radiant with joy.” –Psalm 34:5

Patty points out that miracles still happen, and that God heals some people totally, some partially. Sometimes the healing is emotional or spiritual, not physical. 

If you feel a need for healing of any kind, the Encounter School of Ministry, which Patty is part of, is hosting an event tomorrow, Thursday, April 20. The evening includes music, a dynamic speaker, and opportunities for individuals to receive prayer. Here’s the info: 

“Thank You, Lord. Help us trust You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

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p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

Love Won

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” – Psalm 118:24

Have you ever watched small children at an Easter egg hunt? When the littlest ones find an egg, they snatch it up and run over to their mom or dad to show off their treasure. They don’t look for more, at least not right away. They don’t complain that it’s the wrong color. They simply celebrate that they found one. 

We could take a lesson from those little children during this Easter season. Let’s celebrate the reality of Easter: Love won. Jesus is risen from the dead; His resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection. Instead of dwelling on what ‘more’ we’re wanting, or fixating on what’s ‘wrong’ with our life, let’s recall that there’s more to life than our daily grind and difficulties. Christ promises us that there’s a place reserved for us in heaven, to live with him in complete joy, peace, and love. 

And if that weren’t enough, while we’re living our lives here on Earth we’re given a new day, each day, to start again, to let His Spirit live in us and inspire our every action with His love. We don’t have to wait till we die to see Him; we can look for Him in the people and world around us. We can pay attention to His prompting us through our ‘gut feelings’ to reach out from ourselves to serve others. This is how we experience heaven now: we bring a bit of heaven to Earth.

No matter what else is part of our reality, no matter how difficult life may be for us now, no matter what pain we’re suffering, and even no matter how frightening the diagnosis or the news is – all of this is temporary. If we believe that Love is more powerful than even death, then we can also believe that Love is more powerful than financial strains, relationship issues, illness, and all other hardships. 

Not even death gets the last word. Let’s celebrate the reality that Jesus is alive; He is with us to love, inspire, and guide us; and He is saving a place for us to live with Him for all eternity. 

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” –Romans 8:11

“Lord, open the eyes of my heart to comprehend the reality of Your resurrection and the hope it means for me.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

Jesus Suffered, Too

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” – Psalm 22:1

Last Wednesday, two days after the horrific Nashville school shooting, our daughter in Pittsburgh got a text from her daughter’s preschool saying there was an active shooter nearby, and all schools and daycares within a mile radius were in lockdown. Thousands of parents could only stay put, pray, and wait for more news. About 30 agonizing minutes later they learned it had been a hoax. While on one hand that was a relief, it didn’t diminish the anger and helplessness that was felt by our daughter, son-in-law, and the other parents.

Saturday I drove to Pittsburgh to visit them for a few days. Sunday during Mass, Bishop Zubik addressed the terrifying events of Nashville, Pittsburgh, Ukraine, and the world in general. My granddaughter was whispering questions to me during part of the bishop’s homily (and I was happy to answer) so I didn’t hear everything he said, but what I did hear hit home:

The bishop reminded us that Jesus was both man and God; He was like us in all ways but sin. He felt physical pain and human emotions just like we do. On Calvary, the fact that Jesus knew He would rise from the dead didn’t take away His pain. He cried out from the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’ The bishop remarked that those directly affected by violence surely could be crying out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 

I thought about this later: Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:35). He felt the sting of betrayal when Judas turned Him in. He felt abandoned when Peter denied Him and when the apostles fled in fear. He felt excruciating pain on the cross. 

You, too, may be crying out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Maybe you’re distressed by fear. Maybe your heart is breaking and you feel forgotten. Maybe you’re in extreme pain, and you feel ignored because you’ve begged Him for healing and the illness is still raging. Maybe you feel frustrated because He hasn’t come down and stopped all the violent madness. 

When these feelings overwhelm you, remember that Jesus knows what fear, sorrow, abandonment, and all the rest feel like. He experienced unimaginable physical pain, too. Let that reality comfort you. 

Pope John Paul II said, “As the individual takes up his cross, spiritually uniting himself to the Cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of suffering is revealed before him. He does not discover this meaning at his own human level, but at the level of the suffering of Christ.”

Jesus knows what suffering feels like. Ask Him, and He will give you His strength and His grace to get you through yours. 

“Lord, thank You for suffering out of love for me. Help me carry my crosses.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...